General Information
Activities to implement this Resolution from Activity Reports
| Relevant operative para(s) of Res/Rec | Activities Overview | Description | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scientific/technical activities | Scoping is under way within TAPAS for the update of IUCN Best Practice Guidelines No. 27, Tourism and visitor management in protected areas (2018), as mandated by OP2. The revision will address climate change, mass tourism and visitor pressure, carrying capacity and limits of acceptable change, and the compatibility of tourism with the objectives of categories I and II. | On-going | Full activity report |
| 2 | Scientific/technical activities | A stocktaking paper on tourism and visitor management in protected and conserved areas is in preparation for the 2027 IUCN World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress, co-led by Ante Mandić and Thiago Beraldo Souza. It reviews current practice and the available evidence base, and provides the evidence foundation for the guidelines update and the report-back required by OP2. | On-going | Full activity report |
| 3 | Convene stakeholders/Networking | Stream 1.2 of the 2027 Congress, "Integrating PCA systems into sectoral strategies, governance and policies", is led by the TAPAS Chair and includes dedicated sessions on the tourism-protected areas interface. It is the venue for presenting the guidelines update and accompanying recommendations to the next Congress, as OP2 requires. | On-going | Full activity report |
| 4 | Scientific/technical activities | TAPAS is reconciling terminology across existing tourism assessment tools and guides, to support the standardised assessment of ecotourism practice referred to in OP6 and to make assessment approaches usable by operators in different national contexts, including in developing countries. | Planned | Full activity report |
| 5 | Convene stakeholders/Networking | Continuing collaboration with UNESCO and the IUCN World Heritage Programme on tourism and visitor management in World Heritage sites supports alignment of site management with IUCN guidelines and tourism best practice, as encouraged by OP3. | On-going | Full activity report |
| 6 | Education/Communication/Raising awareness | TAPAS continues to work with the #NatureForAll initiative on visitation as a route to building conservation constituencies, and on communicating responsible visitor behaviour in protected areas. | On-going | Full activity report |
| 7 | Fundraising | TAPAS will submit a proposal to the Commission for a resourced work plan covering Resolutions 8.075 and 8.129, including the drafting group, review process and publication budget required to deliver the guidelines update in time for the 2027 Congress. | Planned | Full activity report |
| 8 | Policy influencing/advocacy | TAPAS has had no involvement in the Albania file to date and has not been asked for input. The group is available to provide technical review of revised national legal frameworks against IUCN category I and II standards, should the Director General or the Secretariat request it. | Planned | Full activity report |
| 1 | Scientific/technical activities | Scoping is under way within TAPAS for the update of IUCN Best Practice Guidelines No. 27, Tourism and visitor management in protected areas (2018), as mandated by OP2. The revision will address climate change, mass tourism and visitor pressure, carrying capacity and limits of acceptable change, and the compatibility of tourism with the objectives of categories I and II. | Planned | Full activity report |
| Relevant operative para(s) of Res/Rec | Activities Overview | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1
5
|
Policy influencing/advocacy
|
Since the Congress, the IUCN ECARO Regional Director has kept up regular high-level dialogue with Albania’s Minister of Environment, including bilateral meetings in Tirana (December 2025), Përmet (March 2026), Tirana (June 2026) and Žabljak (September 2026). This has built a cooperative relationship through which the Resolution is raised and IUCN technical support on the protected-area legal framework is offered.
|
On-going
|
|
1
|
Policy influencing/advocacy
|
A Memorandum of Understanding between IUCN ECARO and Albania’s Ministry of Environment was signed in September 2026 at the Third Green Agenda for the Western Balkans Ministerial Meeting in Žabljak, after about a year of preparation. The five-year framework covers protected-area management, capacity building and environmental policy aligned with the EU acquis. It includes an annual senior-level review and nominated focal points on both sides.
|
Completed
|
|
3
4
|
Fundraising
|
IUCN ECARO is developing a GEF-9 concept from Albania’s STAR allocation (about USD 2.2 million) with the Ministry of Environment and UNDP Albania, with IUCN as the GEF Agency. It covers the Albanian part of the Ohrid Region mixed World Heritage property and addresses tourism and urbanisation pressure through visitor management, ecological input to spatial planning and strategic environmental assessment, and stronger enforcement. It also follows up World Heritage Committee Decision 48 COM 7B.62.
|
On-going
|
|
3
|
Capacity building
|
IUCN ECARO continues to support protected-area management effectiveness in Albania. This includes implementing the Vjosa Wild River National Park management plan and 4 additional national parks through the IUCN Green List process (Prespa NP, Shebenik NP, Divjakë-Karavasta, and Mali i Dajtit).
|
On-going
|
|
1
4
|
Convene stakeholders/Networking
|
The Secretariat has regular dialogue with the IUCN Members in Albania concerned by the Resolution: the Ministry of Environment (State Member), PPNEA and INCA, alongside the National Agency for Protected Areas. The aim is to understand all positions on the Pishë Poro–Nartë Protected Landscape and to identify where IUCN can add value impartially.
|
On-going
|
|
1
4
|
Policy influencing/advocacy
|
The Secretariat has informed the Ministry of Environment, NAPA and development partners in Albania, that it is ready, if the Government requests it, to provide IUCN standards and to facilitate an inclusive, evidence-based assessment process for proposed developments in protected areas, including Pishë Poro–Nartë. This would build on IUCN’s earlier role in the Shushica River case. Any such process would involve all relevant IUCN Members.
|
Planned
|
|
1
|
Policy influencing/advocacy
|
At the Minister’s invitation, IUCN ECARO stands ready to provide technical support to Albania’s alignment with the EU nature directives under the Chapter 27 negotiations, including on nature protection legislation. The support will be set out in a Supplemental Agreement under the MoU, and WCPA (TAPAS) expertise on the category I and II standards will be drawn on.
|
Planned
|
Actors involved from Activity Reports
| IUCN Members | IUCN Commissions | IUCN Secretariat | Other non-IUCN related organisations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| IUCN Members | IUCN Commissions | IUCN Secretariat | Other non-IUCN related organisations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Agjencia Kombëtare e Zonave të Mbrojtura ( Albania )
Institute for Nature Conservation in Albania ( Albania )
Ministria e Mjedisit ( Albania )
Ruajtja dhe Mbrojtja e Mejedisit Natyror ne Shqiperi ( Albania )
|
IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2026-2029
|
Yes
|
Challenges / lessons learned from Activity Reports
| Challenges / lessons learned | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Insufficient / lack of resources | Implementation depends entirely on volunteer time. No dedicated funding has been secured and no Secretariat counterpart has been designated for this Resolution. Both the guidelines update and the research agenda are currently carried by members of the Specialist Group alongside their own institutional commitments. |
Full activity report |
| Insufficient / lack of resources | Quantifying the local environmental impacts of overtourism, as requested by OP3b, implies sustained site-level data collection across a wide range of protected areas. This is beyond what a volunteer specialist group can carry without an institutional research partner. Identifying such a partner is a priority for the next reporting period. |
Full activity report |
| Coordination issues | Resolutions 8.075 and 8.129 overlap substantially and converge on the same instruction to WCPA: the update of Best Practice Guidelines No. 27. TAPAS is implementing them as a single work package rather than as separate streams. An explanatory note on this arrangement is attached to both Activity Reports. |
Full activity report |
| Insufficient / lack of resources | Implementation depends entirely on volunteer time. No dedicated funding has been secured and no Secretariat counterpart has been designated for this Resolution. Both the guidelines update and the research agenda are currently carried by members of the Specialist Group alongside their own institutional commitments. |
Full activity report |
| Challenges / lessons learned | Description |
|---|---|
|
Other (please specify)
|
IUCN Members in Albania, government and some of the NGOs, hold strongly opposing views on the 2024 legislative amendments and on Pishë Poro–Nartë. The Secretariat stays impartial and keep the trust of all sides. The approach so far is that influence comes from a sustained relationship with the Government and from offering technical and process support when asked, rather than from public pressure. |
|
Monitoring and accountability issues
|
Albanian Law No. 21 (2024) has not yet been amended (paragraph 5). Development pressure on protected areas continues, and the Secretariat has limited ability to monitor enforcement on the ground. |
|
Coordination issues
|
WCPA reported that no Secretariat counterpart had been designated. The Secretariat focal point is the IUCN ECARO Regional Director, and coordination with WCPA TAPAS will be set up, including on TAPAS’s offer to review national legal frameworks technically. |
|
Insufficient / lack of resources
|
There is no dedicated funding for technical and legal support under paragraph 1. Support for Chapter 27 alignment will need resourcing through Supplemental Agreements under the MoU or donor funding. |